Just a lil mob AU thing I’ve been working on for awhile now. Finally finished it! Basically Jack finds a picture of Rhys in his old school uniform and unexpected feelings ensue. 

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Jack had been somewhat surprised when Rhys had brought up the idea of going through his father’s things.

In the immediate weeks following the man’s death, most of those more personal items had been boxed up and locked away into the now deserted bedroom. Rhys had hung onto the more utilitarian items—furniture, dishes, light fixtures—that lacked the sentimentality that might send Rhys into that too quiet, too still state that made even his stoic bodyguard uncomfortable.

It danced in Jack’s mind to steer Rhys away from going through those more personal items, but though the omega would often listen to his council, he was growing a far thicker stubborn streak than he had had in the past. Jack had gently asked him if he was sure only one time, and when Rhys affirmed it, he let it go, only staying close and providing physical and fragrant comfort as he sat with Rhys on the floor sorting their way through the boxes.

Things had not been well organized. Clothes and toiletries had been crammed in alongside paperweights and magazines, the boxes bulging near the bottom from the haste of packing. Jack had not been in this room since he had helped Rhys to put the boxes up here after his father’s death. A thin layer of dust crusted over most of the cardboard, floating in the light filtering in from the barely drawn velvet curtains as they sorted through the belongings.

Jack rolled his dress shirt up to the elbows, kneeling next to a smaller, flatter box filled with what appeared to be several leather-bound books. The first couple he leafed through seemed to be classics, including an edition of War and Peace with a freshly cracked binding, while the next couple seemed to be dog-eared medical books from at least a few decades past. He set those aside in a small stack as he picked up one of the wider books and set it in his lap. He opened it, peeling away plastic pages that stuck together, his eyes widening at the sight laid out over his thighs.

“Rhys…what are these?” An affectionate smile curled over his lips as he scoots over to where the young omega is rifling through his father’s old office supplies.

“What are—oh my god, Jack, no!” Rhys blushed, making a grab for the book only for Jack to playfully lean back, his smile gleaming.

“I did not know you were so cute!” Jack chuckled, his finger resting on a picture of Rhys as a child, sitting on the steps outside of the mansion with a bright smile on his face.

“Ohh, no, Jack those are suuuper embarrassing!” Rhys covered his blushing cheeks, looking down at the collection of baby pictures splashed all over the pages of the photo album. Jack beamed, turning the page to see even more images of Rhys as a child—on vacation, by the pool, smiling brightly next to his mother.

“So sweet little Rhys. Ah! Look at your little suit!” Jack cooed at a picture of Rhys posed at a wedding, standing next to his father with a little blue boutonnière pinned to his lapel. The omega frowned, grabbing for the book only for Jack to jerk it away, inadvertently causing a picture to slip out from the pages and flutter onto Jack’s lap.

“Ah ah, what is this?” Jack purred as he snatched the photo up, his amused smile slowly melding into something slightly more surprised.

“Oh.”

“What! What is it?” Rhys cried as he lunged at Jack, nearly bowling him over as he grabbed at the photo to see which one it was, his face flushing pink at the sight.

“Oh, oh god no, not my old uniform…”

The Rhys in the photograph was significantly older than the baby pictures Jack had been looking at, similar to how he had appeared when he and the alpha had first met. It must have been a candid picture, as Rhys was half turning to look away from the camera, mouth open in conversation, his hair tousled softly in the wind as he stood in front of a red-brick building crawling with ivy.

Jack had seen Rhys in plenty of similar, cavalier positions and expressions before, but never had he seen the young man in such an outfit, or anything quite like it. He was dressed in a crisp white dress shirt and a maroon tie, slim form accented with a navy blazer embroidered with a gold and red crest above the breast pocket.

But what had mostly drawn Jack’s eye were the charcoal dress shorts, cut just above the knee and showing off those long, creamy legs that Jack had grown so accustomed to over the past few years.

“Wow….”

“Ugh, god I know, it looked super nerdy, right? Formal shorts are not a good look,” Rhys huffed, crossing his arms as he finally was able to snatch the picture from Jack’s fingers, looking down at it with a frown.

“Ah…forgive me, but I perhaps cannot agree…” Jack hummed as he straightened himself up, rubbing his chin contemplatively.

“You…you still own it?”

Rhys snorted.

“You serious? That thing is just…ugh,” Rhys wrinkled his nose as he stuffed the picture back into the photo-book, tossing it in the direction of the other book piles.

“What? Do you think…perhaps you cannot fit?” Jack teased lightly, earning himself an affronted look from the omega.

“Wh—that’s just…of course I still fit in it! It was only a couple of years ago!” Rhys jumped to his feet, grabbing Jack by the wrist and dragging him off to his own bedroom. “Come on, I’ll show you! I’ll prove it!”

A smile curled on Jack’s lips as he was pulled away, interested in the turn their afternoon had taken.

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Rhys had found the entire uniform after a moment of rifling through his extensive closet, laying out the pieces on his bed as he discovered them. Jack had stood nearby, watching Rhys with his arms crossed as the omega traced his fingers delicately over the pressed, pristine uniform.

The dress shirt slid on easily, as did the navy blazer. Rhys tied the tie deftly about his neck, sticking his tongue out at Jack when the alpha raised his hand to help. Soon, all that remained where the little formal shorts, which Rhys eyed, teeth dug nervously into his lower lip.

“Well…?” Jack prompted, raising his eyebrow. “Try them on.”

Rhys hummed, rocking on his feet before he finally picked up the shorts, wiggling his pale legs into the holes as he pulled them up around his hips.

“See? Totally can fit into them, no prob—“ Rhys stopped as he yanked the waistband around his hips, eyes growing wide.

“Just….just hold on a sec…” Rhys whined as he pulled on either side of the open fly, frustrated air puffing from between his lips as he tried to button his shorts up. He shifted his weight from side to side, trying to pull the tight fabric around his hips until Jack approached him and gently put his hands on the omega’s thighs.

“Rhys—“

“No, I told you I can get them on!” Rhys insisted, pulling one final time only to rip the little gold button off of his shorts, fist nearly smacking Jack in the hip. The omega gazed down at his hips, stunned, and before Jack could say or do anything tears started welling up in Rhys’ eyes.

“Зайчик, wait—“

“I’m so stupid!” Rhys wailed, throwing the button onto the ground as he sat heavily on the bed, tears spilling down his face as he pulled the hem of his dress shirt up to look at where the shorts had dug into his pale hips, leaving bright red marks into the flesh. Rhys whimpered in frustration, grabbing at the hem of his shorts and trying to shove them down his thighs, only for Jack’s warm, calloused hands to settle over his shaky fingers.

“Easy, easy, do not hurt yourself…” Jack murmured, voice like smoky cinnamon as he settled between Rhys’ splayed legs, hands slowly moving to the omega’s restrained hips, feeling the newly grown flesh that was spilling out over the waistband of his old shorts. He leaned in, chuffing soft and warm against Rhys’ tender belly before he leaned in and gave it a small kiss.

“Is not bad thing…is not bad thing at all,” he murmured against the omega’s skin as his fingers gently pried at Rhys’ waistband, carefully sliding the shorts off of his hips until they hung a little less tight off of his thighs. A tight little chuckle strained from Rhys’ lips as he ran his fingers through Jack’s hair, playing on the little spat of grey hair on his scalp.

“I…I know…” Rhys sniffled as he glanced down at himself, rubbing the tears from his eyes.

“I guess I just…I didn’t understand how much things have changed…”

Jack kissed along Rhys’ legs as he carefully peeled the shorts off of him, tossing them aside. He rose gently, hands going back to Rhys’ hips as he carefully laid the omega back, bracing himself up and over Rhys as Jack pressed his lips carefully against his tearstained cheek.

“Is all right,” Jack soothed as he nosed against Rhys’ jawline, peppering it with soft kisses before he rested their foreheads together. He could feel Rhys’ stuttering breathing gradually slow, calming with Jack’s presence settling over him like a heavy blanket.

“Sometimes,” Jack purred as he grasped Rhys’ soft, round hip, “change is very good.”